ITV awarded BAFTA Television Special Award for Mr Bates vs The Post Office
ITV has been awarded the BAFTA Television Special Award for commissioning 'Mr Bates vs The Post Office'.
The programme – which centred on the scandal that saw hundreds of subpostmasters wrongly prosecuted due to the faulty Horizon computer system – has been one of the channel's biggest dramas in 20 years captured the interest of the nation when it was broadcast in January 2024, triggering policy change and reopening the case to seek justice for postmasters.
The drama, which starred Toby Jones as campaigner Sir Alan Bates, saw its audience climb significantly during the four nights that it was on air and the scandal was being discussed in parliament within three weeks of the broadcast as a bill was rushed through to quash many of the convictions involving the Horizon computer system.
The Special Award celebrates ITV's groundbreaking commissioning of the drama and the power of television to drive change in society.
Kevin Lygo, Managing Director of ITV's Media and Entertainment division, said: "This award is a real honour. ITV has a proud tradition of covering important stories like this through drama, and bringing them to the widest audiences.
"We all knew this was an important story that needed to be told, but we could never have anticipated the scale of what came next. The public reaction showed how very British stories of human injustice can unite all walks of life, and affect real world change.
"Huge credit is due to the team who made it, and all the people who entrusted us with their story."
Hilary Rosen, BAFTA Television Committee Chair, said: "This is public service television at its best and shows the power of television to change hearts and minds.
"In a climate where the cost and risk of making UK-specific dramas that have limited international appeal is becoming increasingly challenging, this Special Award champions ITV's brave commission and honours the social and public impact television can have.
"As 'Mr Bates vs The Post Office' has proved, audiences want and need to hear these important British stories."
The BAFTA Television Special Award will be presented to Lygo and ITV's Head of Drama Polly Hill during the 2025 BAFTA Television Awards with P+O Cruises ceremony on Sunday 11 May at the Royal Festival Hall in London.
The ceremony will be hosted by actor Alan Cumming and will be broadcast on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
41 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Tom Daley Explains How Marriage to Husband Dustin Lance Black Has Evolved Over Time
Five-time Olympic medalist Tom Daley explained how the 19-year age gap between him and his husband, screenwriter Dustin Lance Black, has taken on a different shape since the couple first started dating more than a decade ago. Daley, 31, and Black, 50, got married in 2017 after four years together. In an exclusive interview with Us Weekly, the British diving star explained that the couple's age difference feels smaller by the year. 'One hundred percent,' said Daley, whose life and career are profiled in the new documentary Tom Daley: 1.6 Seconds. 'It's funny because the people that know us know that I'm the more mature person that kinds of runs the show in the house.' The couple share two sons, both welcomed via surrogate: Robbie, 6, and Phoenix, 2. Diver Tom Daley Shows Off 'Cardboard' and 'Anti-Sex' Beds in Olympic Village 'As we get older, I think we both align very well on what we want to achieve,' Daley added. 'We're both really big dreamers. I think that was the biggest thing for us, that we're both so supportive of each other. We don't limit the other person's dreams. We really make each other feel like we can achieve whatever we set our minds to.' Daley, who retired from professional diving after earning a silver medal at the 2024 Paris Olympics, recently aligned with Black on a full-time move to Los Angeles from Daley's native England. 'There were a number of reasons, honestly,' Daley said when asked about the family's decision to come stateside. 'Part of it was the fact that Lance moved to the U.K. for me to be able to do my diving for the longest time. He moved away from his business and his work. 'Now it's his turn' kind of vibe.' Following his retirement last year, Daley admitted it 'still feels weird' to be away from the pool in a professional capacity. 'I watch all the diving competitions,' Daley said. 'There's still part of me that's like, 'Oh, I could do that.' You know what I mean? Like, 'I could do it better than them. What are they doing? Come on. Is that really all they got?' There's still a part of me that's a bit like, 'Oof.'' Still, when asked if there was any chance he might change his mind about retirement, Daley was definitive. 'No, we're done,' he said. In the new documentary 1.6 Seconds, Daley emotionally recounts the death of his father, Robert, who died of a brain tumor in 2011, years before Daley started his own family. 'That was part of the reason to do the documentary, for them to be able to have something to look back on and get to know their grandad a little bit,' Daley explained. 'Get to know what their papa did with his whole life. I think that's something that's really important and one of the reasons the documentary happened in the first place. For my kids.' Olympian Tom Daley Reveals the NSFW Gift He Knitted for Diving Partner Noah Williams In the documentary, Daley is seen splashing around in the family pool with both of his sons. But when it comes to them potentially following in his footsteps, Daley said, 'That's on them.' 'If they want to start diving, they can tell me they want to start diving,' he noted. 'But I'm never going to push anything on them that they don't want to do. So, if they showed interest in it.' Daley continued, 'Robbie doesn't really show interest in that side of things. Whereas Phoenix is slightly more of a second child. Daredevil, crazy. You know, the feral child. There's slightly more interest.' Tom Daley: 1.6 seconds is available to view for free in the United States on
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Iconic steam locomotive pictured in Carlisle for anniversary special
A steam locomotive was pictured at Carlisle Station on Saturday as part of the 150th anniversary of the iconic Settle to Carlisle line. The Pepperclass A1 steam locomotive 60163 – Tornado was seen arriving at Carlisle station around 1pm on Saturday, May 31. The locomotive was hauling The West Yorkshireman excursion which ran from Bradford Forster Square to Carlisle via the Settle and Carlisle line. The journey over the Settle-Carlisle line featured on Channel 5's 'The World's Most Scenic Railway Journeys' programme. The Tornado was greeted by crowds at Carlisle Station (Image: Paul Grindley) The route crosses viaducts, travels through valleys, and passes by the stunning Yorkshire Three Peaks — Pen-y-Ghent, Ingleborough, and Whernside in one of the UK's most picturesque rail journeys. The route was celebrating 150 years of the Settle to Carlisle line as well as the 200th anniversary of the railway and the city of Bradford in West Yorkshire being the city of culture for 2025. The Tornado locomotive was completed in 2008 to an original design by Arthur Peppercorn. It is the first new build British mainline steam locomotive since 1960, and the only Peppercorn Class A1 in existence after the original batch were scrapped. In 2017, the Tornado became the first steam locomotive to officially reach 100 mph on British tracks in more than 50 years. READ NEXT: Horrible Histories author Terry Deary to visit Carlisle with MW Craven | News and Star The Tornado has become a favourite on British railways since it was completed in 2008 and often carries heritage rail trips. The locomotive has also featured on both the big and small screen in Paddington 2 and Top Gear. The Tornado has featured in a number of films (Image: Paul Grindley) Cumbria welcomes numerous historic rail tours in 2025 with the county's position on the west coast mainline, its stunning scenery and it being the home of the world-famous Settle-Carlisle lines making it a favourite for rail tourists. Cumbria has welcomed many iconic locomotives over the past few years including the Flying Scotsman, the Sir Nigel Gresley and the Tangmere.
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
Portugal police launch new search for Madeleine McCann
Portuguese police have launched a new search for Madeleine McCann in Portugal's Algarve region where the three-year-old British girl disappeared in 2007, following a request from German authorities. The country's investigative Judicial Police said in a statement it was executing a European Investigation Order on behalf of the public prosecutor's office in the German city of Braunschweig, which in 2022 formally identified German citizen Christian Brueckner as an official suspect in Madeleine's disappearance. It added that "a wide range of investigations, namely search warrants" would be carried out this week in Portugal's Municipality of Lagos and all evidence seized would be handed over to Germany's Federal Criminal Police Office (BKA). The search for traces of the child's body will focus on an area between Praia da Luz, a civil parish belonging to Lagos, and one of the houses where Brueckner lived when Madeleine disappeared 18 years ago, according to news reports by CNN Portugal and German newspaper Bild. Braunschweig prosecutors told Reuters "criminal procedural measures" related to the case were taking place in Portugal involving the BKA and Portuguese law enforcement but did not provide further details. London's Metropolitan Police said it was aware of searches carried out by the BKA in Portugal, adding the force was not present there but would "support our international colleagues where necessary". German police said in June 2020 that Madeleine was assumed dead and that Brueckner was likely responsible. Brueckner has denied any involvement and has not been charged with any crime related to the case. The convicted child abuser and drug dealer is behind bars in Germany for raping a 72-year-old woman in the same area of the Algarve. The last search for Madeleine was carried out in May 2023, when the police combed an inland reservoir in the Algarve but didn't find anything.
